Description
Book SynopsisThey come out of the football stadium tunnel first, but all eyes are on the well-paid athletes behind them. No one pays the referee or the referee's assistants any attention - until they make a mistake. Then all hell breaks loose. They can't explain - or defend themselves against the crowd's abuse. Gavin Muge threads an entertaining personal football memoir together with his own attempts to scale the peak of the professional game as a match official. His football life has led to encounters with a cast of stars from Gary Lineker to Paul Gascoigne, Arsene Wenger and Roy Keane. He officiated at the infamous Riot of Upton Park in 2009 and has witnessed many examples of the darker side of the game. Gavin has also shared the excitement and the pain of the average football supporter and now has the experience to try to make sense of it all in My Life on the Line. See if you agree with him! And pit your knowledge against Gavin's with the book's Chapter Challenges and his Quiz.
Table of ContentsIntroduction PART 1 A FOOTBALL SELF-PORTRAIT. Chapter 1: Hatters' Tea Party Me, Eric Morecambe and a Lifelong Commitment to Luton Town FC Chapter 2: Playing Peak Me, Gary Lineker and the Player of the Year Award Chapter 3: Pitch Battles Me, Millwall and the Way it was Then Chapter 4: Maturity Me, Gazza and Marriage PART 2 SIDELINE OR FRONT LINE? Chapter 5: Earning My Stripes Rungs on the Ladder Chapter 6: Match Day 'Arsene Wenger's having a party/Bring your vodka and your Charlie' Chapter 7: "Look at the Bizzies" The Riot of Upton Park, Part 1 Chapter 8: "If we leave, we won't be coming back" The Riot of Upton Park, Part 2 PART 3 WITHIN TOUCHING DISTANCE? Chapter 9: No Time to be Star Struck Me, Roy Keane, Paulo Di Canio & a Bollocking from Mark Noble Chapter 10: The Long and Winding Road Nearly There Chapter 11: The Best Party Reflections on a Career PART 4 THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO LIFE AS A FOOTBALL OFFICIAL. Chapter 12: 1863 and All That The Laws of the Game and how we got them Chapter 13: So You Want to be a Referee's Assistant A Few Insights Chapter 14: We Need to Talk About VAR Cure-All or Confusion? PART 5 THE WIDER VIEW. Chapter 15: Match Officials in World Cup History The Hand of God, etc Chapter 16: Where are We Now and Where Are we Going? A Brighter Future with some changes to the Game Chapter 17: Match Fixing & the Power of Money Stuff Happens PART 6 EXTRA TIME. Chapter 18: Gavin's Football Quiz Answers at the Back Chapter 19: Fun Stuff Jokes, Quotes and Anecdotes Chapter 20: Poetry in Motion That Goal APPENDIX. Being a Match Official - The Details Links to YouTube Clips Bibliography Acknowledgements Author profiles
